Unit heater



W. L. MACK UNIT HEATER April 27, 1937.

Filed Oct. 26, i935 MTA/ess wmf Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE UNIT HEATER Application October 26, 1935, Serial No. 46,906

3 Claims.

My invention relates to unit heaters of the type wherein a blower or fan forces air through a radiator element and thence directs av stream of warmed air into a space to be conditioned, and more particularly to that type of unit heater wherein the fan is positioned closely adjacent the radiator element and in a plane substantially parallel to the face of said element.

An object of this invention is to increase the eiiclency of this type of heater by providing an arrangement .wherein a maximum percentage of the area of the radiator element will be utilized in providing heat for the stream of air furnished by the/fan. This object is attained by constructing vthe radiator element in the form of a. ring and employing a fan of such dimensions and so arranged that the path of travel of the fan blades will substantially register with the face of the radiator element'.

Another object is/,t'o provide'in this type of heater an arrangement wherein the motor will be properly cooled by the air provided by the fan and yet wherein the motor is mounted in a very secure, simpleand inexpensive manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unit heater of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, wherein the radiator element serves not only for the purpose of heat transfer but also as the frame structure of the heater, carrying the weight of the motor and fan and being supported simply by its connection to a pair of steam headers, such casing members as may be used for confining the air stream being supported by the radiator element.

The preceding object is largely facilitated by the employment of an integrally cast radiator construction.

With these and other objects in view my in- Vention consists in the combination construction and arrangement of the various parts thereof, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as more fully set forth in the accompanying specifications, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a heater embodying my invention, and l Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

I have used the reference letter A to indicate generally the ring shaped radiator 4element of my invention, and the reference character B to indicate the motor and fan assembly.

The radiator element A comprises a ring 55 shaped steam conduit ID which in cross section is elongated in a direction parallel to the axis of the radiator as shown in Fig. 2, and tapered so that one edge is relatively thick as at II and the other edge is relatively thin as at I2.

Struts I3 integrally cast with the side walls of the conduit Ill, serve to tie said walls together and to brace them against the pressure of steam used in operating the heater.

Varies I4 are cast integrally with the conduit Il) and are positioned in planes radial to and intersecting the axis of the radiator. These vanes are substantially equal in length to the longitudinal dimension of the cross section of the conduit, and in a radial direction, project beyond the conduit on either side thereof.

Diametrically positioned are a pair of cored bosses I5 which communicate with the interior of the conduit I0 and extend radially outwardly to the perimeter of the radiator and are internally threaded to receive the nipples I6 to which are connected as by means of unions I'I the header members I8.

In the assembled heater, a pair of the ring shaped radiators are employed, mounted co-axially and face to face as shown in Fig. 2, and they are supported and held in such face to face relation by means of the headers I8 each of which is provided with a double connection for simultaneous attachment to both radiators.

'I'he headers I8 may be connected to a steam line I9 for providing a heating fluid for the radiator.

Support for the heater may be provided by suitably connecting the headers I8 to supporting means, or by suspending the heater from the upper pipe I9.

Within the hollow center of the associated radiators is mounted a. sleeve 20 which serves both to aid in confining the air stream and also to secure the motor 2| to the motor-fan assembly B. The motor 2| may be secured Within the sleeve 20 in any suitable manner as by means of screws 22, and is preferably spaced from the sleeve as by means of the washers 23 in order that a film of air may pass around the motor case as well as through the same for cooling purposes.

It may now be noted that in assembling the heater, the motor 2| may first be mounted within the sleeve 20 and the latter then slipped into the cylindrical cavity in the associated radiator units. The motor is thereby mounted co-axial with the radiator units.

On the motor shaft 24 is mounted a fan 25,' the blades of which travel a path substantially regis- CII tering with the face of the adjacent radiator A, The sleeve 20 serves to prevent anypassage of air from the space occupied by the radiator into the space occupied by the motor or vice versa.

5 An external casing or housing may be employed for confining the air stream, and such a housing can be simply a cylindrical shell 26 encircling and supported by the assembled radiators. and held in place by the nipples i6 passing through 10 its wall.

The advantage of this construction resides primarily in an increased emciency resulting from the substantial registering of the path of travel of the fan with the face of the radiator element.

The radiator element being ring shaped, its median line substantially registers with the median line of the path of travel of the fan blades and all portions of the radiator thus are acted upon equally by the suction produced by the fan.

As a consequence, a smaller area of radiating surface may be employed, and every portion of that surface delivers heat to maximum capacity owing to the fact that every portion of the radiator surface is acted upon uniformly.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ring shaped radiator element comprising a incoming air, spaced vanes on the conduit, positioned radially, and a fan for causing air to pass through said element, said i'an being positioned coaxial with the element and its path of travel substantially registering with the element.

3. A unit heater or the like comprising two ring-shaped conduits of tapered streamlined cross-section having radial varies and arranged coaxially in contact with each other with the thicker edge of the second conduit engaging the thinner edge of the first conduit, and intake and exhaust headers communicating with both conduits and securing them rigidly together.

WALTER L. MACK. 

